2020 Region XI Championship Preview
The Region XI Cross Country Championships are scheduled for Sunday Nov. 1 at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge and hosted by Iowa Central.
2020 marks the first season of Division II Cross Country after all ICCAC teams competed at the Division I level, previously. The two Divisions will all run at the same time at the 2020 Region XI Championships, with scores separating out and awarded accordingly.
Iowa Central comes into the men's and women's races as the favorite for Division I. On the men's side, the Tritons have won the last seven regional titles, with the women winning every regional championship dating back to 2004.
Indian Hills, Iowa Western, Scott and Southwestern round out the Division I field.
The Iowa Western men's squad is currently ranked No. 2 in the NJCAA, while Indian Hills is also in the top 10 team at No. 7.
Iowa Western is ranked fourth in the country on the women's side, and has the returning National Champion, Faith Linga, while Indian Hills is ranked No. 15.
Four teams will compete for the inaugural Division II crown, with NIACC and Hawkeye slated as the front runners. The NIACC men are the No. 1 ranked team in Division II NJCAA, with Hawkeye close behind at No. 4.
The schools are inversed on women's side, with Hawkeye the only ICCAC in Division II top 10 team at No. 3 and NIACC coming in at No. 11.
DMACC and Southeastern complete the Division II field.
The races will be held at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge with the women running a 5k starting at 12:00 p.m. with the men following behind with the 8k at around 12:30 p.m. This will also be great practice for ICCAC schools and the Region XI runners as this will be the same course that will be run for the 2020 NJCAA Cross Country Championships on Nov. 14.
Runners to Watch:
Division I Men:
Kelvin Bungei, Iowa Central: Bungei has two wins on the season in different length races. Winning the Grand View Open with a 5K time of 15:17, and Morningside Open as an 8K. He set his PR in early October with a time of 24:32. With a strong Triton team running with him, the freshman looks to cap a strong season and help his team win extend their streak of team titles.
Yonas Migos, Iowa Western: Migos won the men's race at the Indian Hills Invite on Oct. 16. Achieving a PR of 24:37, he has only gotten stronger as the season has worn on. He looks to be a back-to-back winner and take home the individual title as well as help his Reivers at Iowa Western.
Pur Biel, Iowa Central: You can be fairly confident that you will see Pur Biel's name within the top 3 because that's the furthest down he has been on a leaderboard all season. With a PR of 24:18 coming earlier this year at the Briar Cliff Invite, the sophomore looks to see if he can break through individually and help Iowa Central win yet another team title.
Division II Men:
Melvin Kipkemboi, NIACC: Kipkemboi has been as dominant of a DII runner as one can be this year. His PR of 25:17 has put him in good positions in every race no matter the competition. NIACC's men have placed in the top 3 of the team standings at the Region XI tournament since its first running in 2004, and Kipkemboi is the leader of the Trojan team that is the favorite to win the first ever Division II regional championship.
Sam Mickelson, Hawkeye: Hawkeye's school record holder with a personal record of 25:25, Sam Mickelson has already proven himself at his own school but it's now time to do it at the regional level. With great success during the regular season that included stringing together three straight wins, he looks to continue his impressive running and propel the Redtails to a Division II championship.
Division I Women:
Faith Linga, Iowa Western: Faith has been the most dominant Division I runner in the region all year. Her PR of 16:41 would match the Region XI record if she can repeat the effort. She has won her last three meets she has competed in heading into the Championships. Her and her Iowa Western teammates are hoping to overthrow Iowa Central as the Region XI Champions in 2020.
Eleonora Curtabbi, Iowa Central: Curtabbi leads the way for the Triton with a PR of 17:07 she has not finished outside the top-2 in any race in the last six weeks. With the race being hosted by Iowa Central in Fort Dodge she has the potential home field advantage to break through for another victory and possibly be the individual champion.
Division II Women:
Sarah Bertry, NIACC: Another runner that is no stranger to the top of the leaderboard, the NIACC runner has not finished outside of the top-4 this season. She has the third fastest 5k in NIACC women's history and a PR 18:26. The Division II runners have had to go against Division I all season and Bertry has been able to hold her own and looks to do so once again come Nov. 1.
Ryann Portch, Hawkeye: Hawkeye's top female runner has been on a tear as of late. Three consecutive top-3 finishes going into the Region Championships. Portch's PR of 18:58 puts her in good position as she looks for another high finish next week.